NEW Gloucestershire assistant head coach Ian Harvey wants to bring the glory days back to Gloucestershire.

The 43-year-old for Australian all-rounder won six one-day trophies at the club between 1999 and 2003.

He said: “It’s a really exciting time. Over the next few seasons we’ve got the opportunity to start pushing for trophies and for promotion.

“We are past rebuilding now, we have a lot of senior players here who’ve played a lot of cricket and it’s up to us as coaches to get the best out of these lads. If we do then trophies and promotion aren’t out of the question.”

As well as being instrumental to Gloucestershire’s success around the turn of the century, Harvey was capped 57 times by Australia and was part of their World Cup winning squad in 2003.

Renowned for his all-round skills, particularly in one-day cricket, Harvey was named one of Wisden’s Cricketers of the Year in 2004. He was also named Player of the Tournament in the first ever Indian Cricket League, which he won with Chennai in 2007 and hit the first hundred in T20 cricket.

Since retiring from professional cricket Harvey as worked as coach and commentator and enjoyed a spell as Gloucestershire one-day coach in 2013. He says the decision to return to Nevil Road was an easy one to make, not least because of the passion of the Gloucestershire fans.

He said: “A lot of things at the club have changed but one thing that hasn’t is the supporters. They are one of the things that made it so enjoyable playing for this club and being successful.

"It is always nice to win but when you see how much enjoyment it brings them it makes the job even more worthwhile. Hopefully they can keep supporting us and help us get back to the way we were.”

Harvey will work alongside Richard Dawson who was appointed head coach at the end of January. The pair played alongside each other at Yorkshire and worked together at Gloucestershire in 2013.

Dawson said: “It’s very exciting for the club to have Ian Harvey as assistant coach. We interviewed some very strong candidates and Ian stood out.

“He already knows about the club having been a major part of its most successful period in the late nineties and early 2000s when they dominated the one-day competitions. His passion for the club is clear to see and he wants to recreate the successful environment he experienced here as a player.

“From a coaching point of view he was an exceptional bowler, batter and fielder so he covers all technical bases and adds to an already strong coaching team that includes Owen Dawkins and Mark Thorburn. He knows a lot of the lads from when he was here as a coach with the one day squad in 2013 and the lads enjoyed his enthusiasm and knowledge.”

Harvey’s appointment follows the signing of exciting young batsman and fellow countryman Peter Handscomb as a second overseas player.